The present invention relates to a method and to devices for transmitting and receiving data in a code division multiple access telecommunication system.
A telecommunication system is a system, in which data are communicated between one or more base stations or one or more mobile stations. Thereby, the communication area is divided in cells, in which one base station communicates with one or more mobile stations. Multiple access stations are used to support the simultaneous access of a plurality of mobile stations to one base station within delimited resources of the transmission system. Several multiple access systems are known, for example frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), or code division multiple access (CDMA). Additional to these basic types of multiple access systems, combinations of these different systems are possible and in practical use. The GSM-system for example uses a combination of FDMA and TDMA.
The present invention particularly relates to the transmission and reception of random access data in a code division multiple access system. Random access data are transmitted in the so-called random access channel (RACH) from a mobile station to build up a connection with a base station. The random access data from the mobile station can contain a request, if the base station has sufficient resources available to build up the required connection.
The random access channel comprises or consists of succeedingly or periodically provided random access time windows, in which several random access slots are available. An example for such a known random access time window is shown in FIG. 1. The different random access slots are randomly chosen by a mobile station for the transmission of random access data. In a currently proposed wide band direct sequence CDMA (WCDMA) system the random access time windows are based upon an initial preamble scrambling code, which differentiates between one cell and another cell. Thereby, these codes need to be planned to ensure that neighbouring cells do not use the same code. Therefore, within the preamble part of each random access burst, is provided the preamble signature, which is one of 16 separate codes available for use within that cell. These 16 codes can be seen as separate slots. One of these codes is chosen randomly by the mobile station for the transmission of random access data. Beforehand, the base station broadcasts, which codes are available in each cell over the broadcast control channel (BCCH). In addition, within one time frame (10 ms) are provided 8 time offsets, each of 1,25 ms, allowing further 8 variations. In other words, in each time frame a random access time window is provided, which comprises a plurality of random access slots for transmitting random access data from one or more mobile stations to the base station. The random access time window thereby extends over the time frame of 10 ms so that 128 different random access slots (16 separate preamble codes and 8 time offsets) are provided within one random access time window. This case is shown in FIG. 1.
A collision, i.e. a situation, where the messages collide and are lost, only occurs, when both, the preamble code and the time offset are chosen in the same random access time window. In practice it is expected that only about 30% of the theoretical maximum of 128 accesses per 10 ms will be possible.
In a situation, where a number of packet data users are operating in a burst traffic situation, this maximum could be quickly reached. In such a situation the access to the network will either become slower or not be possible at all. This is due to congestion caused by the build-up of first time requests and the retransmissions made necessary by previous collisions. Since the access to the random access slots is contention based, a guaranteed upper limit on the amount of time needed to access the system even after an initial bust is not ensured. For packet data applications, which demand a constant periodic delivery of data, ready access is critical.
The object of the present invention is thus to provide a method and devices for transmitting and receiving data in a code division multiple access telecommunication system, in which a random access time window comprising a plurality of random access slots for transmitting random access data is provided and which enable a reduced congestion on the random access slots and a more efficient use of the random access time window.
This object is achieved by a method for transmitting and receiving data in a code division multiple access telecommunication system, comprising the steps of providing a random access time window comprising a plurality of random access slots for transmitting random access data from at least one first communication device to a second communication device, dividing a plurality of random access slots of the random access time window into at least two groups, and allocating the groups to respective priority classes, whereby the priority classes represent the transmission priorities of the random access data to be transmitted in the random access slots.
The first communication device can thereby be a mobile station and the second communication device can thereby be a base station of the telecommunication system.
The above object is further achieved by a device for transmitting and receiving data in a code division multiple access telecommunication system, in which a random access time window comprising a plurality of random access slots for transmitting random access data is provided, the plurality of random access slots of the random access time window being divided into at least two groups and the groups being allocated to respective priority classes, whereby the priority classes represent the transmission priorities of the random access data to be transmitted in the random access slots, with means for randomly choosing one or more random access slots from a group having a certain priority class corresponding to the transmission priority of the random access data to be transmitted, and means for transmitting the random access data in said chosen random access slot(s). This device for transmitting and receiving data according to the present invention can for example be a mobile station.
The above object is further achieved by a device for transmitting and receiving data in a code division multiple access communication system, in which a random access time window comprising a plurality of random access slots for transmitting random access data is provided, with means for dividing the plurality of random access slots of the random access time window into at least two groups, whereby the groups are allocated to respective priority classes, the priority classes representing the transmission priorities of the random access data to be transmitted in the random access slots, and means for transmitting information defining the groups of the random access time window. This device for transmitting and receiving data according to the present invention can for example be a base station.
According to the method and the devices of the present invention, the allocated random access channel resources are divided between different types of access on a priority basis. Thus higher priority access types receive more physical resources. This ensures, that some access types will have a better possibility of gaining access to the network due to the higher probability that a particular message will be successful in reaching the base station. The priority types and ratings can be tailored by the network and broadcast to a mobile station upon the broadcast control channel.
The method and the devices according to the present invention particularly lessens the effect of possible congestion on the random access channel caused by increased load, for instance packet data capacity requests, and the transfer of small amounts of user data within random access bursts.
Advantageously, the transmission priorities of the random access data to be transmitted are determined on the basis of the content and the type of the random access data. Further, in said device for transmitting and receiving data, which can be a base station, said means for dividing the random access slots into groups sets the number of random access slots in each group variably depending on system requirements. The size of each group is thus controlled by the network and can be dynamically changed depending on current traffic patterns, network requirements and so forth. A corresponding signal indicating the new groups will then be transmitted over a broadcast channel from the base station to the mobile stations.
Said device for transmitting and receiving data according to the present invention, which can be a mobile station, can further comprise means for extracting information defining the groups of the random access time window from a received broadcast signal. Each time the defined groups are changed by the network, a corresponding signal is broadcast from the respective base station. This signal is received by the mobile stations, in which above-mentioned means for extracting the information defining the groups extracts said information and uses the information for the following transmissions of random access bursts. The access probability can depend on the number of random access slots in the respective groups. Thus, groups with higher priority classes can comprise a larger number of random access slots than groups with lower priority classes.
Further advantageously, each random access slot in said random access time window is defined by a time offset value and a preamble code.
The advantages of the method and the devices of the present invention are a high flexibility in allowing prioritization of access related to the access type and subsequent prevention of congestion for certain access types which may be considered to have a higher access priority at the expense of those access types that may be considered to have a low access priority. A further advantage of the present invention is the ability to dynamically chose the quality of service level on a regular basis depending upon traffic conditions via a broadcast channel for different access types. The present invention further avoids deadlock situations, where random access channel re-transmissions combine with normal traffic to cause a system overload and then a collapse for certain types of traffic at the expense of others.